India tells China to pull back troops from Ladakh

New Delhi: India on Tuesday asked China to maintain status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) prior to the intrusion into Ladakh on April 15.

Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs, told a press briefing today that the second flag meeting between the two Armies was still underway and that the government hopes to resolve the matter peacefully.

"Similar incidents in the past have been resolved peacefully," Akbaruddin said. He was referring to the intrusion by a platoon of Chinese troops 10 kilometres inside the Indian territory in Ladakh`s Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) sector.

The Chinese soldiers are still camping there and India has moved more troops to the region amid escalating tensions.

The MEA spokesperson rejected China`s denial that its troops had camped deep inside the Indian territory.

The spokesperson however sought to downplay the incident, calling it localised. There are differing perceptions about the alignment of the LAC, he added.

Reports today said that on April 15, not just Chinese troops had intruded into the Indian territory but Chinese helicopters also violated the Indian airspace in the same area.